Catcher



AG. DELANY CATCHER Filed April 221953 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTO RNEY} May 12, 1936. A. G. DELANY CATCHER Filed April 22, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR A. ape/Ju y 2 7 ATTORNEY$ Patented May 12, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CATCHER Albanus G. Delany, Alabama City, Ala., assignor to Gulf States Steel Company, a corporation of Delaware Application April 22, 1933, Serial No. 667,343 6 Claims. (01. 80-43) My invention relates to mechanical means for therewith a pair of supplemental pincher rolls catching sheets and like rolled product from the which will coact with the reversing rolls in effectforming rolls of a mill and automatically returning the return of the sheet or partly rolled stock ing the sheets or stock for further passes through to the mill. This is important where short stock the forming rolls until it has been rolled to the is being rolled. 5 desired gauge, when the catcher means will auto- My invention also contemplates that all of the matically discharge it. rotating elements in the catcher shall be con- The object of my invention is to devise an stantly driven throughout arolling cycle without apparatus of the character described which shall there being any interruption or reversal except 10 be simple and sturdy of construction, rapid and at the completion of the rolling cycle when the 10 effective in operation, and comparatively ineX- reversing pinch rollers and conveyor are reversed pensive as to cost of installation and operation. to discharge the finished stock.

My invention contemplates utilizing coacting My invention further contemplates so relating pairs of reversely driven pincher rolls which act the reversing pincher rolls and the conveyor or simultaneously on the rolled stock, the pair adstock support associated therewith, that the rear 15 jacent to the mill serving as forwarding rolls end of the partly rolled stock, as soon as it clears to move the rolled stock away from the mill the forwarding rolls, will automatically and inagainst the action of the other or reversing stantaneously rock or spring into position to pair of rolls which take charge of the stock as direct the stock into the path provided for its soon as it clears the forwarding rolls and act to return travel to the mill. This is preferably ac- 20 check its momentum quickly, to reverse it almost complished by permitting the stock to rock beinstantaneously, and to permit it automatically tween the reversing rolls as a fulcrum as soon to shift or assume such a position that on reversal as its rear end clears the forwarding rolls, which it will take the proper path for its return to the rocking action will not only present its rear end mill. in a position to enter the pass between the sup- 5 My invention further contemplates associating plemental pincher rolls that coact to return to the with the reversing pincher rolls a chain, belt or mill, but will also bring its body into full engageconveyor, normally driven in the same direction ment with the conveyor so as to make more efiecas the reversing pincher rolls, which receives the tive its frictional engagement therewith. stock as it is fed through said rolls and assists Apparatus embodying features of my inven- 30 the latter in promptly checking and reversing the tion is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, stock until the rolling cycle is completed when forming a part of this application, in which:-

the conveyor is reversed and acts to discharge Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view throu the finished stock. the forming rolls of a sheet mill and my im- My invention further contemplates adapting proved catcher mechanism associated therewith; 35 the drive for the reversing pincher'rolls, and also F 2 iS a detailed V illustrating the a r the conveyors when they are used, to be reversed of mounting of t three pincher r0118 djace t to when the rolling cycle operation is completed, this the mill; reversal being automatically accomplished re- Fig- 3 is a detail P View Of the d en revers- 40 sponsive to the control of the mill screw down pincher T011 and the driving Chains therefor 40 means which acts to adjust the pass clearance which serve as a conveyor means for the stock; between the forming rolls. When the screw down Fig. 4 is a V w Similar to 1 ShOWing sets the rolls for the last pass it will, at the same modification of my ca her mechanism in which time, tripa control which acts to reverse the the conveyor and supplemental reversing roll are drive of the reversing pincher rolls and the conomitted and both rolls of the pair of reversing 45 veyor so that they will coact with, rather than rolls are driven; and

to act in opposition to, the forwarding pincher Fig. 5 is a detail View showing the drive for rolls in effecting a rapid discharge of the finished the reversing pincher rolls of Fig. 4. stock. When the screw down means resets the Referring to the drawings for a better underrolls for the initial pass of a new rolling cycle it standing of my invention, I show a pair of form- 50 again acts automatically to reverse the drive for ing rolls II] and H mounted in a suitable frame the reversing pincher rolls and conveyor. work I2. At I3 I show a screw down shaft oper- My invention also contemplates, in its pref-erred ated through a gear l4 and meshing arm l6 embodiment, associating a third pincher roll with from a reciprocable arm H, the purpose of which the upper forwarding pincher roll so as to form is to regulate the relative positions of the form- 55 ing rolls to provide proper clearances for the several passes of each rolling cycle. Inasmuch as these features are well understood in the art, details of the construction and mounting have been omitted.

After passing between the rolls I and l I the sheets or other rolled stock are received by a pair of lower rear guides 6 which direct same upwardly to the catcher and into engagement with its pincher rolls. The catcher comprises preferably a trio of rolls I9, 29 and 2! disposed adjacent to and slightly above the pass in the forming rolls. The lower roll I 9 and the upper roll 2! are mounted rigidly in a frame 22, while the middle roll 24 of the trio is mounted in bearings 23 which bearings are held to the frame 22 by means of bolts 24 having springs 25 interposed between the bearings and the frame whereby the roll 20 is pressed into frictional engagem nt with the rolls l9 and 2|.

The lower roll it of the trio is continually driven in the direction indicated by the arrow by a motor 26, and the other two rolls of the trio are frictionally driven in the manner just explained from the lower roll l9.

Disposed to the rear of the trio of pincher rolls just described is a pair of drive chains 2'? serving as a conveyor for the rolled stock and driven by a reversible motor 28 controlled by a reversing switch 29 mounted on the reciprocable arm H of the screw down means. A pair of lugs 3| and 32 are mounted on the frame 22 in a position to be engaged by the arm 33 of the reversing switch 29 as the screw down means is operated. When the screw down means is slacked off, the arm 33 is engaged by the lug 32 to cause the motor 28 to drive the chains 27 in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of stock being received from the forming rolls l0 and H and the forwarding pincher rolls l9 and 29. When the screw down means has been tightened down sufficiently for the arm 33 to be engaged by the lug 3 l, the motor 28 will be reversed and the catcher chains 2! are driven in a direction corresponding to that of the sheets received from the forming rolls l3 and l l and will discharge the finished stock. The quick reversal of the sheets, however, is brought about by means of a pair of reversing pinch rolls comprising a lower roll 35 driven by the chains 21 and an idler roll 33 mounted in a yoke 3'? on the frame 22. The sheets are forced by the pair of forwarding pincher rolls l and 23 through the pass between the reversing pincher rolls 35 and 38 which are rotating in a direction to oppose this movement of the stock.

The pincher rolls E9, 29 and M are driven continuously in one direction without reversal during the rolling operation The pincher roll 35 will be continuously driven in a. counter-clockwise direction during each rolling cycle until at the conclusion thereof it is reversed to discharge the finished stock. In like manner, the upper flight of the conveyor chains moving over suitable tracks 38 will normally be traveling counter to the approach of the unfinished stock along the path indicated by the dotted arrow 39 in Fig. 1. Both the roll 35 and the chains 2i will thus be opposing by friction the forwardmovernent of the unfinished stock which will be pressed against the reversing roll 35 by the weight of the idler roll 36.

The roll 35 is set slightly above the level of roll 65 so that the stock tends to arch before engaging the chains 21. The moment the rear end of the stock clears the forwarding pincher rolls [9 and 20 it is free to snap upwardly into engagement with the roll 2| and at the same time the stock beyond the rolls 35 and 36 will drop down into full engagement with the chains 21. When this occurs the reversing pincher rolls and the chains 21 act to check and quickly reverse the stock and force it into the pass between the pincher rolls 2!] and 2i, then serving as supplemental reversing rolls and acting to return the stock through guides 40 back to the mill, where it enters a pass between the forming roll it and an idler roll 4|, which is typical of any idle or forming pass for the mill.

The catcher repeats the above operation for a predetermined number of forming passes, but when the rolls I0 and H are set by the screw down means for the last forming pass, the motor 28 will be reversed in the manner described and there will be nothing to oppose the forward movement of the rolled stock as both the rolls 35 and 36 and the chains 21 will then be so driven as to effect the final discharge from the catcher oi the finished stock.

In Fig. 4 I show a modified arrangement of pincher rolls, the pair of forwarding rolls l9 and 20 being spring-pressed together as already described and acting to force the stock between the pair of reversing pincher rolls 35 and 36 and onto a downwardly inclined support 42. The motor 28 is direct connected by drive chains 43 to the sprockets 44 fast on the journals of roll 35. The sprocket gear 45 fast on a journal of roll 35 meshes a gear 46 fast on a journal of the roll 36 so as to drive this roll also. A stop 41 is disposed to engage the yoke 37 so as to prevent it swinging far enough to interrupt proper mesh of the long teeth of the gears 45 and 46. These gears will, however, permit the rolls to open amply for the easy reception of the stock being rolled.

I have dispensed with the upper pincher roll 2| and rely on the drive from both rolls 35 and 36 to reverse and force the stock back up the guides 40 into engagement between the rolls l0 and 4|. The increased frictional engagement of the two driven reversing rolls on the stock will be suincient to check and quickly reverse it without the use of the conveyor chains 2'! of Fig. 1, and when the rolls 35 and 3B are reversed, they will dispose the finished stock onto the inclined support 42 down which it will slide to be stacked or otherwise handled.

It will be appreciated that although I have illustrated my invention in connection with a two roll mill, it is clearly adapted for operation with other types of mills, and it is to be distinctly understood that I am not limited to the specific construction shown. It is contemplated that my improved catcher means is adaptable for use with any type of mill where it is desired to reverse the direction of movement and repass the sheets through the forming rolls.

In observing my improved catcher in operation, I found it impossible to detect with the eye a distinct stopping of the movement of the sheets, the reversal of their movement being accomplished so quickly.

This quick return of the sheets is of special importance in hot rolling practice where the extent of permissible reduction of the stock, without reheating, is dependent on the rapidity with which the catcher means will pass it back and forth or with shuttle action through the mill passes. It is also of great importance in its bearing on the rolling capacity of the mill. By avoiding any shifting of catcher parts and any reverse of its driven parts during the rolling cycle I can cause the catcher to function with the maximum celerity and a minimum wear on parts, it being obvious that there will be no difficulty about the reversal of the chains 21 and small roll 35 to discharge the finished stock.

When I referred to the rolls of a pair of pincher rolls as driven, I mean to include either or both being driven and while I have not shown the roll 36 as driven, this may be done in any convenient way if desired. It will always be essential that the action of the forwarding rolls shall prevail over the reversing rolls but the latter should act to stop and reverse the stock before its rear end passes from between the reversing rolls when no conveyor chains 21 are employed. When such chains are employed they will assist the reversing rolls to stop and reverse the stock and will also return the stock to the reversing rolls if it happens to run past same, but the latter operation is not contemplated as it will slow up the operation.

While I have shown my invention in but two forms, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications, without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:--

1. A rolling mill catcher, comprising a pair of I forwarding pincher rolls driven to force stock away from the mill, a. pair of pincher rolls beyond said forwarding rolls and having a reversible drive to force stock towards or away from the mill, said latter rolls being less powerful than said forwarding rolls and being disposed and normally driven to act on the stock simultaneously with and in opposition to said forwarding rolls, meansto guide the stock back to the mill, and means to position stock requiring further reduction, when released to the exclusive control of said reversible rolls, to clear the forwarding rolls and coact with said guide means.

2. A rolling mill catcher comprising two pairs of pincher rolls disposed and reversely driven so as to act simultaneously and in opposition to each other on stock requiring further reduction, the pincher rolls nearer the mill being the forwarding rolls and more powerful than and disposed with their pass lower than the pass of the returning rolls, and the pairs of pincher rolls being relatively disposed to cause the stock when released by the forwarding rolls into the exclusive control of said. returning rolls to assume automatically position to clear said forwarding rolls and be returned to the mill.

3. In a catcher for a rolling mill, a pair of continuously driven forwarding pincher rolls, a pair of less powerful reversing pincher rolls normally driven cotemporaneously with and in opposition to said forwarding rolls and between which the rolled stock is forced by the forwarding rolls, a table for supporting the stock beyond the reversing rolls, said reversing rolls and table being disposed with relation to the forwarding rolls so that the stock as it is released by the forwarding pincher rolls will automatically assume a position to pass the forwarding rolls on its return to the mill by the reversing pincher rolls, and means toreverse the drive of said reversing rolls to discharge the finished stock.

4. The combination with a catcher means for returning rolled product to a rolling mill, of a trio of guide rolls interposed between the mill and the catcher means and comprising a lower driven roll, a spring-pressed pincher roll coacting therewith to forward rolled stock from the mill to the catcher means, and an upper roll with which said spring-pressed pincher roll coacts to form an upper pair of rolls for returning the rolled product from the catcher means to the mill, the catcher means being disposed so that the stock will automatically shift from said lower to the upper pass upon being reversed by the catcher.

5. In a catcher means for rolling mills, in combination with a screw down adjustment for the mill rolls comprising an actuator, of a sheet catcher comprising moving sheet-engaging elements having a reversible drive, means to force a sheet into said catcher counter to the frictional effect of its moving parts, means to return a sheet from said catcher to the mill, and means tripped by said actuator to reverse the normal catcher drive only when a sheet is ready for discharge.

6. In a catcher means for rolling mills, the combination with a screw down adjustment for the mill rolls comprising an actuator, of a sheet catcher comprising moving sheet-engaging elements having a reversible drive, means to force a sheet into said catcher counter to the frictional effect of its moving parts as normally driven, means to return a sheet from said catcher to the mill, and means tripped by said actuator to reverse the normal catcher drive only when a sheet is ready for discharge and to restore the normal drive of the catcher after the discharge of the sheets.

ALBANU S G. DELANY. 

